Most people remember chemistry from their schooldays as largely incomprehensible, a subject that was fact-rich but understanding-poor, smelly, and so far removed from the real world of events and pleasures that there seemed little point, except for the most introverted, in coming to terms with its grubby concepts, spells, recipes, and rules. Peter Atkins wants to change all that. In this Very Short Introduction to Chemistry, he encourages us to look at chemistry anew, through a ch...

The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe. From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal, and from the unfurling of a leaf to the course of life itself - everything is directed and constrained by four simple laws. They establish fundamental concepts such as temperature and heat, and reveal the arrow of time and even the nature of energy itself. Peter Atkins' powerful and compelling introduction explains what the laws are and how they...

In this scientific 'Credo', Peter Atkins considers the universal questions of origins, endings, birth, and death to which religions have claimed answers. With his usual economy, wit, and elegance, unswerving before awkward realities, Atkins presents what science has to say. While acknowledging the comfort some find in belief, he declares his own faith in science's capacity to reveal the deepest truths.

You may well be a fan of the first two or three Hellraiser movies who found that your relationship with this fourth one was ... well, what shall we say? Complicated, maybe? You may, if you were of a kindly and forgiving nature, have found the film somewhat interesting, even occasionally entertaining, but you probably also found it confusing, felt that something just wasn't right about it. You may have noticed the director's name-Alan Smithee-and googled it, and discovered that Alan Smithee...

So how you choose to live matters.That’s the topic of this book. I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m still learning every day, and many of the good ideas here I’ve picked up from other people either directly or by reading. But this is what’s worked for me.Like life, this book is short. Many books I read could communicate their ideas in fewer pages. So I’ve tried to be brief in line with the wise person who noted: “If I’d had more time I would have written a shorter...

Any literate person should be familiar with the central ideas of modern science. In his sparkling new book, Peter Atkins introduces his choice of the ten great ideas of science. With wit, charm, patience, and astonishing insights, he leads the reader through the emergence of the concepts, and then presents them in a strikingly effective manner. At the same time, he works into his engaging narrative an illustration of the scientific method and shows how simple ideas can have enormousconsequ...

The marvellous complexity of the Universe emerges from several deep laws and a handful of fundamental constants that fix its shape, scale, and destiny. There is a deep structure to the world which at the same time is simple, elegant, and beautiful. Where did these laws and these constants come from? And why are the laws so fruitful when written in the language of mathematics? Peter Atkins considers the minimum effort needed to equip the Universe with its laws and its constants. He explores...

From award-nominated and critically-acclaimed author Peter Atkins, screenwriter of Hellraiser II-IV and Wishmaster, comes a new collection of exquisitely rendered nightmares.What is that unearthly howling coming from a small suburban house in Liverpool? Why would a headless corpse in a Manhattan penthouse be sitting so calmly with its legs crossed? What is it about that unusual trinket bought at an estate sale that has an agent of a covert government department so interested?

From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas or the cooling of a hot metal, to the unfolding of a thought in our minds and even the course of life itself, everything is governed by the four Laws of Thermodynamics. These laws specify the nature of 'energy' and 'temperature', and are soon revealed to reach out and define the arrow of time itself: why things change and why death must come.In this Very Short Introduction Peter Atkins explains the basis and deeper implications of each law, highl...

With the development of a variety of exciting new areas of research involving computational chemistry, nano- and smart materials, and applications of the recently discovered graphene, there can be no doubt that physical chemistry is a vitally important field. It is also perceived as the most daunting branch of chemistry, being necessarily grounded in physics and mathematics and drawing as it does on quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and statistical thermodynamics. With his typical clarity...

RUMORS OF THE MARVELOUS is a brilliant collection of 14 short "ghost stories" by a contemporary master of the fantastic. Previously released as a limited edition hardcover in Great Britain and a finalist for The British Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction Collection, RUMORS OF THE MARVELOUS finally sees it's first release in a U.S. edition. With stories ranging from horror, hints of sci-fi, and fantasy to epic poetry, Peter Atkins delivers all in a style uniquely his own.Stories i...

Peter Atkins, een autoriteit op het gebied van de scheikunde, neemt je met prachtig geschreven zinnen mee langs de fundamenten en toepassingen van de scheikunde. Hij doet dat op zo'n beeldende en aansprekende wijze dat je moeiteloos vertrouwd raakt met het vakgebied. Een genot om te lezen, voor zowel niet-scheikundigen als scheikundigen.